Prairie Falcon

Falco mexicanus

Order FALCONIFORMES - Family FALCONIDAE - Subfamily Falconinae

Menu

1. Cool Facts
2. Description
3. Similar Species
4. Sound
5. Range
6. Habitat
7. Food
8. Reproduction
9. Conservation Status
10. Other Names

A large falcon of the arid American West, the Prairie Falcon hunts medium-sized birds and mammals.

Cool Facts

• The Prairie Falcon often shares its nesting cliff with Common Ravens, Golden Eagles, and Red-tailed Hawks.

• The Prairie Falcon sometimes bathes in river shallows, but dust-bathing is probably more common than water-bathing, because of the general scarcity of standing water in its habitat.

Description

• Size: 37-47 cm (15-19 in)
• Wingspan: 90-113 cm (35-44 in)
• Weight: 420-1100 g (14.83-38.83 ounces)

Large falcon, medium-sized hawk. Pale brown back and markings. Whitish chest with brown spots and bars. Dark mustache mark on face. Dark ear patch. Long pointed wings. Dark patch in "armpits."

Sex Differences

Sexes look alike, female larger.

Immature

Similar to adult, but with streaked, not spotted or barred underparts.

Similar Species

• Gyrfalcon much larger, with broader wings, longer tail (folded wingtips do not reach tail tip), and only an indistinct face stripe.
• Peregrine Falcon darker and more blue-gray, has more distinct face pattern and lacks dark "armpits."
• American Kestrel much smaller and has a double facial stripe.
• Merlin smaller and slimmer, and has only a very weak facial stripe and banded tail.

Sound

Call a shrill, yelping "kik, kik, kik."

»listen to songs of this species

Range

Summer Range

Breeds from southwestern Canada southward to northern Mexico, eastward to Saskatchewan, western Nebraska, and western Texas.

Winter Range

Winters from very southern Canada to central Mexico, farther eastward than breeding range, reaching Minnesota and eastern Texas.

Habitat

Dry grasslands and prairies, locally alpine tundra; suitable breeding habitat usually requires cliffs for nest sites; in winter, also cultivated fields and lake shores.

Food

Medium-sized mammals and birds.

Reproduction

Clutch Size

Usually 4-5 eggs. Range: 2-8.

Condition at Hatching

Helpless and covered in down.

Conservation Status

Not as badly affected by pesticide era as Peregrine Falcon. May currently be increasing.

Other Names

Faucon des Prairies (French)
Halcon mexicano, Halcon Pradeño, Halcon café, Halcon palido (Spanish)

Sources used to construct this page:

Steenhof, K. 1998. Prairie Falcon (Falco mexicanus). In The Birds of North America, No. 346 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.